Can BetterDisplay apply dark or inverted colors to the whole desktop?

Yes. Use image adjustments for basic dimming and color changes, or Self-Stream + Video Filters for effects such as Invert Colors. These transform the displayed image. They do not rewrite each app’s interface into a content-aware dark theme.

For bright white areas, first try the display’s Image Adjustments menu. Software brightness, contrast and gain can change the intensity and tonal balance without applying full image inversion. Gain requires Pro. The available adjustments depend on the processing method. These affect image content more broadly than a content-aware white-background replacement, so compare text, photos and video. The Image Adjustments reference explains each effect.

Open the display’s streaming menu and choose Self-Stream + Video Filters. Adjust the filters for the effect you want. Inversion also changes photos and video, while effects that emphasize edges can make text harder to read. Start with a simple adjustment and compare ordinary text, images and moving content before combining several effects.

For self-streaming, Use Compositor Filter provides a processing path that filters the content behind the overlay without the ordinary screen-capture stream. It is also available for a Video Filter Window. The capture path and compositor path have different options. Compositor filtering does not expose Target FPS or HDR Filter Pipeline. Neither path guarantees negligible processing cost.

These filtering features require Pro. Ordinary capture needs Screen Recording permission. Compositor filtering avoids that capture path. See Video Filters and Stream Transformations for the available adjustments and filter automation for saved changes through the CLI.

A color filter is not a guarantee that every possible screen state stays below a measured light level, or that no bright image can appear during locking, wake or other transitions. Use an appropriate hardware brightness level as well, and test the behavior you depend on.